Muggle Studies the Muggle Way
by hpnerd328
Summary: The Marauders are in Muggle Studies class, and Professor Richardt wants to teach them how to dance. Wish them luck as the deal with the frenzy of emotions that comes with it.


_8:30 P.M., Gryffindor Common Room_

The Marauders had just gotten back to the common room after a hard day of learning and pranking (one involving Snape and balloons filled with hair dye). They were about to go up to their dormitories when they saw that a notice had been tacked up on the bulletin board. It was a crisp white paper with the words written in green to make sure everyone passing saw it. By the light of the window they read:

STUDENTS IN THIRD OR FOURTH

YEAR MUGGLE STUDIES

MUST PARTAKE IN A MANDATORY

BALLROOM DANCE CLASS

TO BE HELD DURING YOUR

SCHEDULED CLASS TIME

NO WANDS ALLOWED

_Please find your own partners._

_Classes begin Tuesday, February 14._

Sirius turned to his friends. "What does 'partake' mean?" he asked.

"It means to participate or take part in," explained Remus.

"Ballroom… that's with partners, right?" asked James.

"Yes," said Peter at once.

The others looked at him curiously. He blushed under their stares.

"My mum enrolled me in class before I came here," said Peter sheepishly, "And it's on the notice."

"Are you any good?" asked Remus earnestly.

"No."

The other boys groaned. Sirius smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"What's this?" asked Lily, walking up to them, "A challenge the Marauders can't face?"

James immediately ruffled his hair. "Do you want to be my partner?" he asked, adopting a suave attitude.

"Actually," she said with a bemused look, "I came over her to ask Remus."

Remus gulped very loudly. "M-me?" he stuttered.

Sirius and Peter gawked at Lily, Remus, and James in turn with their mouths wide open.

"You don't want to be with me," said Remus quickly, "You should go with James."

"You're probably more graceful than Potter. And you would take this seriously, unlike Potter who would joke about it rather than actually care," explained Lily patiently.

James was fuming. "Says who?" he asked heatedly.

"It's just obvious," said Lily, as if it finalized the matter.

"She's got you there, mate," said Sirius with mock-seriousness.

"I can't be with you," said Remus. He glanced around the common room, his eyes seeking something.

"Why not?" asked Lily.

"Because, uhh," – Remus grabbed the first girl he saw – "I'm with Guinevere."

Lily and Guinevere were both surprised. "All right, then, James," said Lily with an amused look, "I'll go with you."

"Yes!" James punched the air.

"Do I get a say in this?" asked Guinevere.

James and Remus looked at her nervously.

"Uhh…sure," said James cautiously.

"Don't look so worried. I was just going to say that I would love to be your partner, Remus, but you should come up with a better way of asking," she said indifferently. She shrugged her shoulders. James and Remus looked relieved.

"Well, see you later, then," said Lily as she to the girls' dormitory. James watched her closely until she disappeared up the staircase.

"Thank you," said Remus breathlessly to Guinevere.

"I was going to ask you anyway," said Guinevere, blushing.

"Congratulations, Moony! Your first admirer," said Sirius. "It was the Marauder charm, wasn't it?" Sirius added to Guinevere.

"James would've killed me if I danced with Lily," said Remus shakily.

"Yeah, I would have," growled James, "I may have to anyway, if she finds you more attractive than me."

Remus paled. Sirius and James saw this and laughed. "I'm just kidding, mate," said James, patting him on the shoulder.

"Besides, he won't be able to kill you because I won't let him," said Guinevere confidently.

"You think you can take me on?" asked a disbelieving James.

"I think I can," said Guinevere. She stepped up to him and looked him in the eye. Her arms were folded over her chest.

"Meet me by the painting of Barnabas the Barmy," said James.

"Room of Requirement?" asked Guinevere.

Sirius was taken aback. "How'd you know about that?" he asked stupidly.

She turned to Sirius. "I overheard you four. So is that where we're meeting?" said Guinevere. She turned back to James.

"Midnight," said James.

"All right then. Bye, Remus." She gave a little wave, and then followed Lily to the girls' dormitory.

"Remus, are you okay?" asked Peter.

"I think he's been bitten by the love bug," teased Sirius.

"I have not," said Remus indignantly, "I…er…appreciate her for being my-"

"Oh, give it a rest, Moony," interrupted Sirius, "There's nothing wrong with a little love."

"There is for me," said Remus quietly.

"I think you should give her a chance," said James, "She's almost top of the year. Right under us, of course."

"I can't risk it," said Remus, shaking his head.

"Yeah, 'cause she might beat you up if you break up with her," joked Peter.

Sirius laughed. James looked on coldly. "You think she'll win, don't you?" asked James furiously.

"Depends," said Sirius.

"On what?" asked James.

"Well, if Moony's there, you'll win because she'll be too busy looking at him to fight," said Sirius with a laugh.

"Umm, will you guys stop this conversation if I admit my love for Guinevere?" asked Remus.

"Yeah!" said Sirius hopefully.

"Too bad. Carry on," said Remus with a grin.

"Ha, ha," said James sarcastically.

"You really should give her a shot," said Sirius.

"Maybe," said Remus.

"But now we have another problem," said Sirius, "Who's going to be my partner?"

"And mine?" added Peter.

"Wormtail, don't kid yourself," said James, "Padfoot, you could go up to any random girl, and she would say yes."

"Yeah," said Sirius, looking off into distance.

"Um, excuse me," said Tara shyly, who was walking up to them.

"Hello, Tara," said Remus kindly.

"I was just wondering if Sirius would be my partner for Muggle Studies," said Tara, staring at her feet.

"I'd love to!" said Sirius in a jolly way. He gave her a hug.

"Thanks!" said Tara, looking relieved. She walked back to her group of friends, grinning broadly.

"Well, that solves my problem!" said Sirius.

"But what about me?" whined Peter.

"Uh…I give up," said James.

"I could always summon Kreacher for you, Peter," said Sirius with an evil smirk, "He does seem to fancy you."

Peter blushed as James and Remus laughed.

"Why not ask Alex?" pointed out Remus, "She seems nice enough."

"All right," said Peter brightly, "I'll go ask her now." He fought the crowd over to Alex, who was chatting with her friends.

"Moony, you're too nice for your own good," said Sirius, "You should've let Wormtail figure it out for himself."

"He's a big boy," said James.

"But he really needed the help," said Remus, "Besides, it's not like Alex is cute, or anything. She looks almost just like him."

Sirius peered over at her. "Whoa, you're right!" said Sirius.

"So, then, what do you think of Guinevere?" asked James.

"How about I answer for him?" said Sirius. "She's so beautiful, with her dark brown hair and bright blue eyes that glow with intelligence. And she's tough, I can't wait to see her beat up James tonight," Sirius said in a love struck tone.

"Ha, ha, Sirius, very funny," said Remus.

"But it's true," persisted Sirius.

"Yes, I suppose," admitted Remus under his breath while staring at the floor.

"Aha! I knew it!" exclaimed Sirius.

"Moony's in love! Moony's in love!" taunted James.

"This is exactly why I wasn't going to say anything. I'm going to bed," said Remus angrily. He began walking away.

"Oh, come on!" said Sirius.

"Good night, Prongs. Good night, Padfoot," called Remus over his shoulder.

"You idiot!" James smacked Sirius.

_Midnight, Room of Requirement_

There was a knock on the door. All four Marauders turned at it. Remus got up quickly as though he had sat on something, then he went to open the door. Guinevere was standing there, in a light blue sweat suit, looking ready to kick butt. Remus gulped, and for a minute, he couldn't breathe. A blush crept on his cheeks.

"Hi, Remus," she said shyly.

"Hi," said Remus breathlessly, "I was wondering if you would, er, study with me tomorrow during free period. In the library?"

"I'd love to," said Guinevere. She smiled.

"Pardon me, but we have a fight to attend to!" said James.

"Sorry, Prongs," said Remus, "But it took me three and a half hours to come up with what I was going to say." Remus stepped out of the way to allow Guinevere into the room.

"Well, I'm glad you gave it that much thought," said Guinevere with a laugh.

"Can we just get on with it?" asked James irritably.

"Ready when you are," said Guinevere.

"Wrestling. No punching or hitting of any form. I wouldn't want to explain your black eye," said James. He smirked at the thought.

"Alright," said Guinevere simply.

The Room of Requirement had been set up with a wrestling mat for a floor. There were some seats for spectators and even a bell to begin the match. Remus took his place next to Sirius and Peter.

"Ring the bell, Padfoot," said James.

"Round one!" shouted Sirius as he rang the bell.

Guinevere immediately took charge. Before James could blink, he was on the floor with the girl on top of him. He struggled to get her off him, but to no avail. She pulled his arm on behind his back and leaned on it.

"OW!" screamed James.

"One…two…THREE!" yelled the three boys.

"Round one goes to Guinevere!" said Sirius.

"My turn!" said Peter, grabbing the bell from Sirius.

"If you can handle it," grinned Sirius.

"Round two!" Peter pulled the string to ring the bell.

James swung his legs around and caught Guinevere behind the knees. She crumpled at his feet. James promptly jumped on top of her. She struggled against his weight, but could not get him off.

"One…two…THREE!" yelled Sirius and Peter. Remus had hidden his eyes.

"Round two to Prongs!" said Peter.

"Don't be a baby, Moony," said Sirius after seeing his friend, "It's your turn for the bell."

"All right," said Remus, taking the bell.

"Now remember, this round decides it. Try to make it a little longer, because we've only been here a few minutes," said Sirius.

"Round three!" said Remus as he rang the bell.

James and Guinevere had their hands on each other's shoulders, trying to force the other to the ground. Guinevere tilted her body and sent the sparring pair onto the ground. She rolled on top of him, then sat upright. She put her face right up to his and grinned.

"One…two…" They were about to say 'three' when James grabbed her face and pulled her under him.

"One…two…" Guinevere rolled over again, this time putting James on the floor.

"One…two…THREE!"

"Yay!" said Peter.

"Shut up!" said James ferociously as he got up.

"I'm sorry, Jamsie, was I too hard on you?" said Guinevere in a baby voice.

"No," said James curtly.

"Good job," said Remus to Guinevere, "Both of you," he added nervously when he saw James' face.

"Nice try, mate," said Sirius sympathetically.

"Yeah, whatever," mumbled James.

"Hey, at least you won one round," said Remus hopefully.

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled James.

"Well, I guess I'll be going then," said Guinevere.

"Could you wait just outside the door? I can walk you back," asked Remus.

"All right," said Guinevere with a smile. She walked out and closed the door gently behind her.

Remus sighed happily. "You're right, Sirius," said Remus, "There's nothing wrong with a little bit of love."

"Whoa, he must be in love if he's agreeing with me," said Sirius.

"She's just so...beautiful," said Remus wistfully.

"Remus, we don't care," said James irritably, "It's your relationship, not ours. You don't have to share it with the whole world."

There was a stunned silence.

"That was pretty harsh, mate," said Sirius.

"No, no, he's right," said Remus quietly. He had crossed his arms and was staring at his feet.

"I don't mind," piped up Peter.

"That's because you've never had a relationship and therefore take joy in other people's instead," retorted Sirius.

"I'd better go," said Remus, "Guinevere is waiting." He walked across the room and left, without a word of goodbye.

"You idiot!" Sirius smacked James.

"What did I do?" asked James angrily.

"Moony's finally got some happiness, and you go and ruin it just because his girlfriend can wrestle better than you can! You need to deflate your ego some," said Sirius, "You can start by apologizing to Moony."

"What for?" asked James heatedly.

"For acting like a git. Of course we care about him and any relationship he gets," said Sirius.

James didn't say anything.

"Prongs, mate, you didn't even call him Moony. You called him Remus. You haven't called him that since we came up with the nicknames."

James' actions finally hit him. He smacked himself on the forehead.

"Oh, man, you're right," said James with realization, "I got to go find him." He made a move to leave, but Sirius held him back.

"Give him some time with Guinevere."

_With Remus and Guinevere_

Remus was silent as they walked. He did not look at Guinevere at all, but she would often look at him with concern.

"What happened?" asked Guinevere.

"I don't want to talk about it," muttered Remus.

She shyly grabbed his hand. "You can tell me anything," she stated quietly. She stopped him and made him look at her face.

"James was just acting stupid," said Remus, "What he said didn't matter all that much. It's just that..."

"What?" pressed Guinevere.

"That was the first time he didn't call me by my nickname since we came up with them." They continued walking and holding hands.

"It's my fault; I shouldn't have agreed to fight him," grumbled Guinevere.

"No, it's not your fault..." began Remus, but he left the sentence trailing.

"It _was _my fault; wasn't it?" asked Guinevere.

Remus slowly nodded.

"I'm so sorry," said Guinevere.

"It's alright, Guinevere. Prongs'll get over it eventually," said Remus.

"Call me Gwen," said Guinevere softly.

"Gwen," Remus repeated. His eyes twinkled.

"We're here," said Gwen. They had arrived at the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked in her dignified way. Remus turned to face Gwen.

"_Amor Sempor_," said Remus, not taking his eyes from Gwen's.

The Fat Lady gave a knowing smile and swung forward to admit them. They walked in dreamily. The couple strode over to the dormitory entrances. They paused in the middle of the staircases and turned toward each other.

"Did you mean it?" asked Guinevere.

"Yes," said Remus.

"I love you, too. I've loved you since I saw you."

Neither said anything for a while.

"You know, just a half hour ago you were nervous about asking me on a study date. Now you're admitting your love," said Gwen with a smile.

"Amazing, isn't it?" asked Remus.

He put his arms around her. She put her arms on his shoulders. They leaned in to kiss...

...and the portrait door swung open to reveal Professor McGonagall, holding James and Sirius by the ears.

"Sneaking around the castle at night! You had no right! Detention, both of you," said McGonagall. Remus and Gwen, holding each other, suddenly registered to her. "Oh! Umm, did I interrupt something?"

Remus and Gwen let go quickly. "No, Professor," they grumbled together.

"Well," she regained her usual brisk manner, "None of you should be up this late. However, Miss Reynolds and Mr. Lupin were in the common room, so they were not breaking any rules. Mr. Black and Mr. Potter, I shall see you in detention tomorrow evening."

McGonagall left. The four looked around awkwardly at each other. Then Peter entered the common room nervously.

"Uh, hey guys!" said Peter. Sirius and James glared at him.

"How could you leave us to Minnie's mercy like that?" asked Sirius furiously.

"Err..." said Peter.

"Forget about it, Padfoot," said James, "There are more important things to worry about."

He turned to Remus.

"Moony, buddy, I'm sorry," said James, "I was way out of line. You didn't deserve that."

"That's all right," said Remus.

"So, what were you guys doing before we came in?" Sirius asked Remus and Gwen suggestively.

"Nothing," they answered at once.

"Sure," said Sirius, although it was obvious he didn't believe them.

"Well, we sure need our sleep if we have Muggle Studies tomorrow," said Gwen, "Good night, all!" She gave Remus a hug and went up to her room.

Remus watched her with a smile.

"You really are in love, aren't you?" asked Sirius.

"Yeah. And it's for real, too," said Remus.

"How do you know?" asked Peter curiously.

"Hang on, I'll show you." Remus dashed up to his room and came back a few minutes later with something behind his back.

"What's that?" asked James.

Remus pulled a bright red rose out with a flourish.

"Is that...?" began Sirius.

"...a Rose of True Feelings?" finished James.

"Yes."

The three boys gaped at him.

"Red means love," said Sirius in awe.

"And that is the reddest red I have ever seen," said James, shaking his head.

"Where'd you get it?" asked Peter.

"Greenhouse Two. That's where I was after the predicament with Lily," said Remus, "By the way, I nicked your Invisibility Cloak, Prongs."

"I don't care, but I'm sure tomorrow I will," said James.

"Smell it," said Remus.

"Smell it?" repeated Sirius, eyebrows furrowed.

"I read that if it smells like the person you said when you pulled it that you were truly meant to be," said Remus.

"I know what she smells like, I'll do it," said James. Sirius looked at him curiously. "What? I was wrestling with her, I think I would know." James took the rose and sniffed it. He gasped.

"It does smell like her. Cinnamon."

"Goodness, Moony," said Sirius, "I didn't think you'd find your love after dating only one girl."

"Are you going to tell her about...?" asked Peter quietly.

Remus sighed. "I should, but I don't know if I'm ready for anyone but you three to know," he said.

"But if she's your true love you'll have to tell her sometime," said Sirius.

"Better sooner than later," added James.

"I'll tell her during our study date tomorrow," Remus resolved, "Now come on, let's get to bed."

_8:20 A.M., Great Hall_

The Marauders were happily eating their breakfast, chatting merrily all the while. Sirius had just joked about Snivellus' hair, when Guinevere walked up and sat down next to Remus.

"Hello, everyone," said Guinevere cheerfully.

"Hello, Guinevere." answered James, Sirius, and Peter, who were sitting across from them.

"Hello, Gwen," said Remus.

The other Marauders exchanged glances and whispers ("He called her Gwen; she doesn't let anyone do that.").

Gwen smiled at him. "So how was your sleep? I accidentally woke Lily up when I tripped over my own feet, so she knows all about last night," said Gwen.

"What did she say about me agreeing to fight you?" asked James quickly.

"She said she's surprised that you keep your head up with an ego that big," replied Guinevere. The others laughed. James didn't say anything but kept his head down.

"Hey, his ego has deflated a bit," said Sirius, and this comment started a conversation about James' apology.

"Did you tell her about us?" Remus asked Gwen under his breath.

"She just knows we're going out," said Gwen in the same tone, "I didn't tell her anything else."

"His apology did make up for his pig-headedness, wouldn't you agree, Moony?" asked Sirius.

"Yeah, that did help," said Remus, rejoining the conversation, "But then again, I suppose I would have suffered a blow to my ego if I had lost to a girl."

"Well, I must say, I do make a formidable opponent," said Guinevere.

"Maybe..." said Remus.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Gwen fake-defensively.

"Well, James had stayed up until midnight so he was tired," said Remus.

Gwen poked him. "So?"

Remus poked her back. "He had to be tired for you to beat him," he said.

And so the poking match began. James and Sirius watched them with knowing smiles, having done that to several girls themselves. Peter watched with fascination, having never touched a girl. The match finally stopped when Gwen let out a giggle.

"Are you ticklish?" asked Remus, eyebrow raised.

"Maybe," said Gwen. So Remus proceeded to tickling her sides.

"Moony sure is enjoying himself," said James with an amused look on his face.

"Remus, I can't breathe!" said Gwen between fits of laughter. Remus stopped.

"Fine," said Remus, "But the war shall continue in the library."

"Deal." They shook hands.

"Come on, lovebirds," said Sirius with a roll of his eyes, "Double Charms starts in ten minutes."

_8:30 A.M. Charms_

"Today we shall be reviewing Summoning Charms, as they always come in O.W.L.s," said Professor Flitwick, "So please begin."

The Marauders, Gwen, and Lily went over and began working. Lily and Gwen discussed the night's events.

"So, you and Remus are together," said Lily as she Summoned her book from her desk.

"That _is _what I told you last night," said Gwen after Summoning Remus' quill. She twirled it in her fingers, kissed it, and then Banished it back to his desk.

"Well, I was half-asleep and didn't know if it was a dream," said Lily patiently.

"Good point. So do you want to hear about me kicking Jamsie's butt?" asked Gwen.

"I thought that really was a dream!" said an astonished Lily.

"Yep, I kicked his butt," said Gwen casually, "He was really mad. Remus and he had a bit of an argument about it."

"They're still friends, though."

Gwen gestured over to James, who had Summoned Sirius' book and was threatening to rip out the pages, and Remus, who was observing his quill with interest. "It wasn't a real big thing. They sorted it out after James and Sirius got detention from McGonagall."

"That's good," said Lily.

"So, Evans," cut in James, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"I'm already your ballroom partner; don't push it," answered Lily.

"Ah, come on, Evans," said James. He gave her a pleading look. "Hey, wait a minute;" he said with realization, "You nicked my Invisibility Cloak!" He looked at Remus.

"That is true," said Remus evenly, "I was wondering when you would remember."

Gwen, Lily, and Sirius laughed.

"Now I get to nick something of yours," said James with an evil grin.

"That is also true," said Remus calmly.

"You have an Invisibility Cloak?" asked Gwen incredulously.

"Yes."

"Then why did you get caught last night?" Gwen asked curiously.

"I didn't put it away in the right place, so he couldn't find it," said Remus.

"So where _did _you put it?" asked Sirius.

"Under Peter's bed," said Remus.

Everyone laughed. Peter stopped concentrating on his textbook and looked up at the sound of his name.

"Now, now, get back to work," said Professor Flitwick reproachfully.

James proceeded to Summon Remus' book bag. He rifled through until he pulled out the Rose.

Lily and Gwen gasped.

"Is that...?" began Lily.

"...a Rose of True Feelings?" finished Gwen in a whisper. She took it from James and smelled it.

"Is that what I smell like?" she asked Remus quietly.

He nodded. "I was going to show you in the library," he said.

"Well, if you don't mind," interjected James loudly, "This is what I'm going to take." He took the Rose back from Gwen.

"Very well," said Remus, struggling to keep his temper under control.

"Remus, I want to pull one," Gwen whispered to him.

"Before our date starts," he whispered back, "_Accio Parchment!_" He Summoned a bit of spare parchment from Gwen's desk. Gwen had written 'I love Remus Lupin' and other things along those lines repeatedly.

"Uhh..." said Gwen.

"Interesting," said Remus with a smile.

"I had... planned on binning that," she said with a blush.

"Let me see that," said Sirius. He took the paper despite Gwen's pleads.

"Very nice," said Sirius before he pocketed it with a wink.

"Give it back!" said Gwen as she reached for his pocket.

Sirius kept her at bay easily.

"I think I'll show it to Snivellus. You know he likes you, right? He might try to beat up Moony, but we could always just schedule the fight at the Willow on the full moon," said Sirius while steepling his fingers.

"Why would the full moon matter?" asked Gwen curiously.

"Did I say full moon? I meant..."

"_Accio Parchment!_" said Gwen. The parchment zoomed into her outstretched hand.

"Very nice, Miss Reynolds!" said a passing Professor Flitwick.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at Gwen. "Teacher's pet," he muttered.

Gwen grinned. "Always have been, always will be."

And so Charms class passed with more Summonings, more laughter, and more love.

_10:00 A.M. Greenhouse Two_

Remus led Gwen to the greenhouses as soon as the bell rang. He took her to the Rose bush, and she looked at them in awe.

"Go on." He nudged her gently.

Gwen took a deep breath, and then placed her fingers on the stem of one.

"Remus Lupin," she said with determined clearness.

She pulled the Rose.

It immediately turned a brilliant shade of red. Gwen smelled it; she then pulled Remus into a fierce hug.

"Chocolate," she whispered into his robes.

He held her at arm's length. "I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you, too," she answered.

They leaned in to kiss...

"Ah, Mr. Lupin, Miss Reynolds, I see you found my Roses of True Feelings," said Professor Sprout, coming up to them.

They pulled away quickly. Gwen hid the Rose behind her back.

"Yes, Professor," they muttered together.

"Well, may I see the Rose?" asked Professor Sprout.

Gwen took the Rose out from behind her back. Professor Sprout gasped.

"I have never seen such a red!" she said, "Which one of you pulled it?"

"I did, Professor," said Gwen.

"Mr. Lupin, did you pull one?" asked Professor Sprout.

"It's in my dorm," said Remus.

Professor Sprout sniffed it and let out another gasp. "It...it... smells like chocolate!"

"That would be me," said Remus. He raised his hand then put it back down.

Professor Sprout returned the Rose to Gwen. "Well, I am very happy for you both," she said.

"Thank you, Professor," the couple said together.

"I'll leave you two to your private moment, then," said Professor Sprout, turning to leave.

"Oh, we were going to the library, anyway," said Gwen, "We'll see you later, Professor."

"Good-bye," said Professor Sprout.

Remus and Gwen walked back to the castle hand-in-hand. Neither said anything until they got to the library, where Madam Pince snapped at them for slamming their books on the table.

"They're not even her books," hissed Gwen at Madam Pince's retreating back.

"That's not important," said Remus.

"It's kind of weird, isn't it?" asked Gwen after a moment's silence.

"It _is _weird how we already know our true loves, and we're only 15," said Remus.

"Well, I was going to say how it's weird that we get interrupted every time we try to kiss, but what you said is true, too," said Gwen, "We could..."

"With Madam Pince breathing down our necks?"

"Good point. Well, we came here to study, so could you quiz me on Ancient Runes?" asked Gwen.

"I need to tell you something first." Remus took a deep breath.

"You can tell me anything," she said, placing her hand lightly on his.

"I'm a werewolf," he said nearly inaudibly.

"A what?"

"A...werewolf," he said a little louder.

Gwen stared at him, trying to read his face. Then everything clicked.

"That's why you're sick all the time?" asked Gwen.

He nodded.

"And these scars..." She gently traced the scars on his face with her finger. He gave a small shudder, and she quickly retreated.

"I don't have anything to bite, so I have to bite and scratch myself." He grabbed the hand that had traced the outlines of his face and held it in both of his.

"If you want to run, I would understand," he said quietly.

"Why would I run?" she answered in the same tone. She reached in to kiss him...

"OUT!" screeched Madam Pince, "This is a library, not a broom closet! OUT!"

Gwen and Remus grabbed their things as fast as they could and made a mad dash out to the lake before Madam Pince could do anything else.

They ran and ran, never stopping to look back. Who knew what the Pincer could do? They finally reached the lake and stood doubled over, trying to catch their breath.

"Every...time," said Gwen between gasps, "Every...time...we try...to kiss..."

"Someone...interrupts," finished a panting Remus.

Gwen gulped, then said, "I think someone...has it out for us. Maybe someone...warns teachers to watch us or something." She straightened. Remus did the same.

"I think you're being a little paranoid. Who would want to keep us from kissing? Who would even care?"

However, what they didn't know was that there _was _someone who wanted to keep them from kissing. There _was _someone who cared. He was hiding among the trees, watching them. He was a boy with a broken heart: Severus Snape.

"Well, no one's around," said Gwen suggestively, "We could..."

"You read my mind," said Remus.

Snape panicked. She was right; no one was around. Who could stop them from kissing?

The couple was leaning in to kiss.

"Lupin, I really didn't think you were one to give public displays of affection," sneered Snape as he walked up to them, "Of course, I didn't think you were one to show any kind of affection."

Remus scowled. "At least I have a girl," he said.

"And a cute one, at that," said Gwen. Remus looked at her. "Hey, I am cute."

"Very true," said Remus with a smile.

Gwen giggled.

"Oh, please," said Snape with disgust, "Like you're the master of girls."

"He _did _get me," said Gwen.

"True. But what are the odds that you are dating him out of pity?" said Snape with a smirk, "You can't have had many girls, Lupin, and Reynolds here can do much better."

Gwen had to restrain Remus from tackling Snape to the ground. Snape raised an eyebrow.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Snape. He crossed his arms over his chest, smirking with satisfaction.

Remus reached inside his robes and pulled out his wand. A second later Snape was upside-down. His robes fell off his arms and landed in a pile on the ground. With a Sirius-like grin, Remus Banished them into the lake.

"Take it back," snarled Remus, "She is not dating me out of pity."

"Are you sure?" asked Snape, his face slowly turning purple, "Or maybe it's to save what little reputation you have. You do know that people think you're gay, right?"

Gwen pulled out her wand and slammed Snape to the ground. Then she cried, "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

Snape's arms and legs snapped together, and he fell backwards onto the ground. Gwen strode up to him and bent her face down close to his.

"Remus Lupin is not gay. I am not dating him out of pity, and no one is better than him," she said defiantly. Then she smacked him, taking advantage of the fact that he could not defend himself.

She rolled him into the bushes but took care to make sure he could see everything that went on. Then she went back to her beloved and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm not dating you out of pity," she said, her voice muffled because it was on his shoulder, "I'm dating you because I love you."

Remus smiled. "I knew that," he said. She lifted her head and rested her hands on his shoulders. They leaned in to kiss...

"Hey, guys!" shouted a passing Peter.

...and were interrupted by a poor boy with no knowledge of girls and relationships.

_12:15 Great Hall_

"Ancient Runes was tough today, wasn't it? Gwen asked Remus.

"Very. It may not have been so hard if we had studied," answered Remus.

"Why didn't you study?" asked Peter curiously.

James and Sirius stared at him. "Well, they were snogging of course!" said Sirius, who promptly smacked Peter.

"What else would a couple do?" asked James.

"Actually, we didn't kiss," said Gwen coolly, "He told me his secret, then I tried to kiss him, but the Pincer caught us and kicked us out. Then we ran to the lake and tried to kiss there, but Snape turned up. He insulted Remus so he used 'Levicorpus' to turn him upside-down. Then Snape insulted him again, so I slammed him to the ground, Petrified him, and rolled him in the bushes. He may still be there for all I know. Then we tried to kiss again, and Peter interrupted us."

"Our first date," said Remus, "and we didn't even kiss."

"Have you guys snogged at all?" asked Sirius.

"Nope," said Gwen.

"And if our luck continues like this we won't kiss until we're married!" said Remus. They all laughed.

"Well, it would be more special," said Gwen. She suddenly went in to kiss him, hoping that since it was spontaneous, there would be no one to stop them.

"Ah, young love," sighed Professor Dumbledore as he walked past the Gryffindor table. As he walked up to the staff table Gwen hit her head repeatedly on the table while James and Sirius sniggered.

"Wait." Gwen stopped banging her head as realization hit.

"What?" asked Remus.

"Snape," she muttered.

"Pardon?" asked James.

"It's been Snape. He has the teachers watching us," said Gwen feverishly.

"Why would Snivellus care?" asked James.

"He likes her," said Sirius slowly.

"Whoa, what?" asked Remus.

"I heard him telling one of his equally greasy friends. He said he fancies her," said Sirius.

"And you told me, Sirius, remember? In Charms, this morning," said Gwen.

"Yeah," said Sirius.

"Well, Marauders excluding Moony, we now have a mission," said James.

"And that is...?" asked Peter.

James and Sirius stared at him again. "Do you ever catch on?" Sirius asked him.

"We have to make sure that Moony and Guinevere get their kiss," said James impatiently.

"You guys don't have to do that," said Remus, blushing, "We can just, do it in the common room, or something..."

"But wouldn't you want something more romantic for your first kiss?" asked Sirius.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Lily as she came up to them. She sat herself down next to Gwen.

"We're going to plan Remus' and Gwen's first kiss for them since Snivellus keeps ruining it for them," said James after ruffling his hair.

"I want to help!" said Lily, "I could get Tara to help, too."

"Good idea," said James, "So it'll be me, you, Sirius, and Tara planning it."

"What about me?" asked Peter indignantly.

"Peter, you are the least romantic person I have ever met," said Sirius, "I don't think you'll be able to be of much use."

"You guys do know that we're still here, right?" asked Gwen.

"Yeah," said Sirius indifferently.

"So we know what you're planning," said Remus.

"Oh, not everything. You just know that it's going to happen. You don't know when or where," said Sirius.

"Or how," added James.

"Now can you go away so that we can plan properly?" asked Lily.

"All right," said Gwen with a sigh.

Gwen and Remus got their belongings and went further down the table to finish eating. Lily brought Tara over and the group began planning.

"First question: where will it be?" asked Tara.

The group pondered this for a moment. "What about the Room of Requirement?" suggested Peter.

"Peter, that is the best idea that you have ever had," said James.

"Okay, so it's in the Room of Requirement," said Lily.

"What's that?" interrupted Tara.

"It's a room by the painting of Barnabas the Barmy. You walk past it, and it changes into whatever you need it to be," explained Sirius.

"That's cool," said Tara, "So what should the scene be? I was thinking maybe a moonlit stroll or something."

James and Sirius exchanged glances. "No, not a moonlit stroll," said James, "What about the beach?"

"Gwen said that she loves watching the ocean," said Lily.

"Has Moony ever said anything about the ocean?" James asked Sirius.

"Not that I can remember," said Sirius as he shook his head, "I could ask him."

"Someone should write this down," said Tara.

"Already on it," said Lily as she rummaged through her bag. She came back up with a quill, ink, and parchment in her hand. "Okay, 'Possibilities of Location,'" she said as she wrote it down, "Beach."

"What about a lake?" asked Peter, who was now anxious to prove he wasn't a complete dork.

"That's not a bad idea. We could even have a picnic set up," said Tara.

"Lake...with...picnic," said Lily as her quill recorded it.

"_My_ first real kiss was in a broom closet," said Sirius.

Lily and Tara rolled their eyes.

"It was with Caitlin Jones, too," said Sirius as he thought back to that moment, "She is a great kisser."

As if on cue, Caitlin walked up the aisle by the Gryffindor table. Sirius gave her a cocky grin that made her giggle.

This time James rolled his eyes as he ruffled up his hair. "Padfoot, you are too full of it," he said.

"What about a living room?" suggested Tara.

Everyone looked at her curiously.

"I mean, like, in front of a fireplace," she said, "I always thought that might be pretty romantic."

"Yeah, we could have a loveseat with a big comfy blanket on it," said James.

"And then they cuddle up..." said Sirius suggestively.

"Fireplace," said Lily, not looking up from her parchment.

"What if we made it a series of events," asked James, "that lead up to a good kiss?"

"That'd be neat," said Tara.

And so the group continued to scheme until the bell rang, when Lily hastily put the parchment away as Remus and Gwen walked by on their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"This is going to be great," James whispered to Lily as the couple walked by.

"They will love it," agreed Lily.

James beamed.

_1:00 Defense Against the Dark Arts_

"Good afternoon, everyone," said Professor Aegis.

"Good afternoon, Professor," chanted the class.

"Now today we shall be studying werewolves...yes, Mr. Potter?" James' hand had shot up at the word 'werewolves.'

"Are you sure we should be studying these now, sir? Maybe we should wait until closer to exams," he said.

"I would rather not have my curriculum questioned by a fifteen year old. You are a rather advanced class, and I am quite confident that you can handle it," said Professor Aegis coldly.

Remus paled. Gwen grabbed his hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. James patted his arm sympathetically.

"No one will figure it out," whispered Gwen.

"Snape," he whispered back fearfully. He looked like he was about to throw up.

"So, werewolves. People who are forced to change into wolf form at the light of a full moon. Dreadful situation, really. Werewolves find it very difficult to fit in with society," said Professor Aegis as he strode about the room.

Snape suddenly gasped with realization. His eyes portrayed ecstasy. The whole class turned in their seats to look at him, as he was sitting in the back. He mumbled an apology and put his head down to begin taking notes.

Remus gulped. "He knows," he whispered to Gwen.

Gwen looked at him, her eyes wide with fear. "It'll be alright," she said, but she didn't seem to believe it herself.

"Now," said the professor briskly, "There are five signs to identify a werewolf. Can anyone name one?"

James and Sirius' hands went shakily up.

"Yes, Mr. Black," said Aegis.

"The tail," he mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Aegis put a hand around his ear.

"The tail," Sirius said louder.

"Very good, Mr. Black, take a point to Gryffindor. But next time you give an answer try to tell me and not your desk," said Aegis, "Yes, the tail. While wolf tails are forked, werewolf tails are tufted. Now, can anyone name another?"

And so the class went on, with Remus getting paler after each answered question. Finally, the bell rang and Professor Aegis assigned a foot of parchment on how to identify a werewolf.

"Mr. Lupin, could I have a word?" asked Professor Aegis. Remus slowly turned around. James, Sirius, Peter, and Gwen hung around. "Mr. Lupin, I do know of your condition; I don't want you to think me heartless. But if I thought that someone would figure it out I would not have discussed it in class."

"But Snape figured it out," he muttered.

"I shall talk to Dumbledore. He will have a word with Mr. Snape. Now, Mr. Lupin, you may want to go see Madame Pomfrey, you're looking a little sickly." The Marauders and Gwen quickly left the room, where Snape greeted them.

"I know your secret," hissed a passing Snape in Remus' ear, "and wait until everyone else hears about it."

What little color Remus had gained talking to Professor Aegis drained away immediately. He stumbled over to the bathroom across the hall. Sirius followed him, patting his back all the way. James scowled at Snape.

"You wouldn't dare," he growled.

"Ah, but I would," he answered with a smirk.

"This isn't a good way to impress me," said Gwen.

Snape flushed slightly. "I am not trying to impress you, why would I?" he asked.

Gwen was spared having to explain her story when Remus came out of the bathroom with Sirius. He had his arm over his friend's shoulder and was guiding him gently back to his friends.

"Skive off, Snivellus," Sirius snarled.

"Fine." Snape walked down to the dungeons.

"Are you alright?" Gwen asked Remus.

Remus shook his head. "He threw up," said Sirius, "Poor guy."

"I think I'm going to go up to Madam Pomfrey," he said quietly, "Tell Professor Slughorn where I'm at."

"You mean Sluggy? Yeah, sure," said James.

"Come on," said Gwen gently. She led him down the hall while whispering encouraging words in his ears. He gained a margin of color.

"Poor Moony," said Sirius as he shook his head.

"We really need to get to work on their kiss," said James.

"Yeah," said Peter.

"If anyone deserves it, it's him," said Sirius.

"Come on, can't be late for Sluggy if we're telling him about Moony and Guinevere," said James as he began to walk down to the dungeons. Sirius walked harmonious with James, while Peter struggled to keep up.

"I thought it was just Moony?" asked Peter.

"Well, Guinevere's going to want to stay with him and make sure he's alright isn't she?" asked James.

"Oh," said Peter.

"Again you fail to realize the simplicities of a good relationship," said Sirius lazily. Peter blushed.

The boys continued down the corridor in silence. All three were thinking about their troubled friend and his furry little problem. James was so distracted; he didn't even ruffle his hair when Lily caught up with them to talk about the previous class. She, of course, did not know of Remus' condition and wanted to discuss how interesting the class was.

"I didn't know half the stuff about werewolves that Professor Aegis told us about. It was fascinating," she said, "You guys really seemed to know your stuff, though. I'm impressed, James."

"Evans, please shut up," said Sirius.

"Fine," said a miffed Lily. She went ahead to her group of friends in a huff.

And James didn't even care.

_1: 50 P.M., Hospital Wing_

Gwen led Remus to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey heard them come in and was bustling to them before the door even closed.

"What's the matter, Mr. Lupin?" she asked, "It's not your...er...time yet."

"You can talk freely, Madam Pomfrey, I know all about it," said Gwen.

"Oh. Well, Mr. Lupin, it is not even close to the full moon, so you shouldn't be ill yet," said Madam Pomfrey briskly.

"We began learning about werewolves in Defense Against the Dark Arts," explained Gwen.

"Ah, so you're nervous someone will find out," said Madam Pomfrey while nodding her head.

"Someone did find out," croaked Remus, "Severus Snape."

"Well, I'm sure the Headmaster will sort it out," said Madam Pomfrey.

"Professor Aegis said he would talk to Professor Dumbledore," pointed out Gwen, "But then Snape said he was going to tell everybody, so poor Remus threw up."

"He will tell," said Remus to himself. He sat down on the nearest crisp white bed, holding his head in his hands.

Gwen sat beside him. "I can speak from an outsider's point of view, having only known for less than a day. This is your fifth year here. In first year, yeah, we were curious. Why does Lupin go away so much? But now we're used it. We see you going down to the hospital wing, and we just glimpse briefly. No one cares."

"Thanks," he murmured.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" asked Gwen.

"You should go back to class," said Madam Pomfrey at once.

"I'd rather she stayed, Madam Pomfrey," said Remus. He took his shoes off, laid them on the floor beside the bed, and slipped under the blanket.

"Oh, alright," said Madam Pomfrey. She flung her arms in the air and walked back to her office, muttering things like "He needs his rest" and "I think I know what I'm doing."

"Thanks for getting me out of Potions," said Gwen.

Remus smiled weakly. "But you're one of his favorites."

"Nah." Gwen shook her head. "That's Lily."

Remus reached up and held her face in both hands. She smiled as she let him pull her closer. They were just an inch apart when Madam Pomfrey bustled in with a tray full of odd potions. She gasped when she saw the compromising position her patient and his girlfriend were in.

"Miss Reynolds, get out of my hospital wing!"

"Bye, Remus," said Gwen gloomily. She got up from the bed and began walking to the door.

"Bye, Gwen," he said before Madam Pomfrey shoved a blue potion down his throat. He gagged, and then grimaced. Gwen laughed. She left the room still chuckling while Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue disapprovingly.

_2:00 P.M., Double Potions_

Gwen went down to the dimly lit dungeon. Every eye was on her as she walked to her seat in the front.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor Slughorn," said Gwen.

"Not to worry, Miss Reynolds," said Professor Slughorn, "Mr. Potter here patched things up for you. And you have just enough time to whip up a decent Draught of Living Death."

"Yes, sir," said Gwen. She went to the storage cupboard, came back to her seat, and began measuring ingredients.

"Why were you late?" asked Lily quietly. Lily, of course, sat in the front next to Gwen.

"Remus wasn't feeling good, so I took him to the hospital wing," Gwen whispered back.

"Sickened by the idea of werewolves?" whispered Lily sympathetically, "I heard there were four people last year that went to the hospital wing after learning about them."

"Something like that," agreed Gwen shrewdly. She dumped her ingredients in her cauldron and began stirring.

By the end of the class period, only four people had managed to get their potions a nice shade of lilac: Lily, Gwen, James, and Sirius. Poor Peter was attempting to empty his cauldron of what looked like cement. The bell rang, and Gwen was out before it was even finished ringing. She had a half hour break next period, and she fully intended to spend it with Remus.

However, when Gwen got to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey sent her away saying that Remus had already left. So Gwen raced to the library, only to be quickly ushered out by Madam Pince ("No running in the library!"). By the time Gwen got to the common room, 15 minutes of break had already passed. She burst into the common room, where there were four amused boys looking at her with their eyebrows raised.

"Where have you been?" asked Remus from a couch by the fire. He patted a place next to him.

"Looking for you," replied a panting Gwen as she sat next to him. She sat herself down close to him and laid her head on his shoulder, settling it in the crook of his neck. Her feet settled on the couch next to her. His arm went instinctively around her shoulders.

"Where did you look?" asked Sirius without looking up from his Ancient Runes essay.

"The hospital wing and the library," said Gwen.

"I left the hospital wing just before the bell rang," said Remus.

"Why'd you check the library?" asked James, who was also working on Ancient Runes.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," said Gwen sheepishly.

"I considered going there first, actually," said Remus reasonably, "But I thought you would come here first."

"Been going out for a day and you already have communication problems," said Sirius with a grin.

"So how are you feeling?" Gwen asked Remus, ignoring Sirius' last comment.

"Much better," said Remus, "What you said helped me more than any vile potion Madam Pomfrey could come up with." He screwed his face up at the thought of that tray of potions. Gwen lifted her head long enough to look and laugh.

"That's good," said Gwen.

"What'd you say?" Peter asked her excitedly. He was practicing his Summoning Charm; he was the only one who was told to practice.

James and Sirius rolled their eyes. "Probably just 'I love you,' or something of the like," said James.

"I guess we won't tell you then," said Gwen teasingly.

Sirius' curiosity was piqued; his head had come up from his essay.

"So, what _did_ you tell him?" asked Sirius casually.

"Nope, not going to tell you," said Gwen. She snuggled closer to Remus (if that were possible) and sighed. They began breathing in time with each other.

"If they don't want to say then they don't have to say," said James fairly, "It's their business."

"Since when have you been the voice of reason?" retorted Sirius, "We have a right to know."

"And they have a right to keep it secret," said James tiredly.

"But-" began Sirius.

"Don't worry about it, Padfoot," said Remus. He laid his head on Gwen's and sighed.

"Fine," said Sirius haughtily, "I'll just get back to work."

"You do that," said Gwen.

Sirius gave the couple a sour look, then got back to work.

The portrait door swung open to reveal Lily and Tara. James stopped working long enough to mess up his hair.

"Wow, the Marauders are working?" asked Lily incredulously.

"All except the one who is usually the sensible one," said Tara. She pointed at Gwen and Remus.

"Well, we were wondering if you guys wanted to walk down to Muggle Studies together," said Lily.

"I can't; I'm meeting Alex in the library," said Peter proudly. He smiled dreamily at the thought of his partner.

"Sure, we'll come," said James.

"Cool," said Tara. She looked over at the couple. "Why don't you guys go ahead?"

"All right," they said. Gwen shrugged. They walked to the portrait door, where Remus opened the door and gestured Gwen through. Gwen smiled as the portrait door swung closed, with Peter tailing after them.

"I swear, he's trying to get tips," said Sirius as he shook his head.

"Well, Sirius, did you ask Remus about the ocean?" asked Tara.

"Nope, slipped my mind," said Sirius breezily.

"Sirius!" said Tara. She smacked his arm.

His hand jumped to where she hit him. "I was kidding; I was kidding," he said hastily, "He said they're calming and peaceful."

"So that settles our plan. We're doing it tonight, right?" asked Lily.

"It's Valentine's Day. I don't see why we should do it any other day," said James.

"Alright," said Lily, "Well, let's get to class."

The boys grandly offered their arms out to their partners. The girls looked at each and giggled, then slipped their arms into the boys'. James and Sirius ostentatiously led their partners out of the Gryffindor common room. Lily and Tara giggled again.

_4:00 P.M., Muggle Studies_

The third year Muggle Studies class entered their classroom with a surprise: all the desks were gone. Professor Richardt, in teal dress robes, was standing at the front of the room. The class seated themselves cross-legged on the ground.

"Good afternoon, class," said Professor Richardt, "Now, I presume you have your partners?"

Everyone nodded. Professor Richardt was a fun, young teacher. She was the teacher the guys had a secret crush on. She called everyone in the class by their first name, and she never gave homework.

"Good, good. Now, I will introduce you to my partner: Alexander Nyder."

The girls gasped as Alexander walked in. He was what you might call "Tall, tan, and handsome." He was also ripped; his shirt was tight enough that you could see a nice six-pack. Gwen, being a dedicated girlfriend, restarted the poking match with Remus. He appreciated this; he didn't have to compare himself with the handsome intruder.

"Now, today we will begin our unit on dance. Unfortunately, we only have enough time to learn one type of ballroom, so we will be learning the tango. Guinevere, Remus, pay attention!" Remus and Gwen stopped suddenly as the whole class stared at them. They grinned sheepishly. "Everyone split into your pairs."

All 16 students stood up, but they didn't move much because they were already next to their partners.

"Good, good. Now, I think a change in dress is in order." With one sweep of her wand, all the girls' robes changed into a spaghetti strapped dress that was a different color depending on the girl. The boys' robes turned into nice black suits (very close to tuxedos) with ties to match the color of their partner's dress. Every tennis shoe was changed into a high heel or a dress shoe. The class gasped.

"I thought you might like them," said Professor Richardt with a smile. The girls oohed and aahed at each other's dresses, while the boys stood around awkwardly shifting their weight from foot to foot.

"These dresses are beautiful!" exclaimed Lily, whose dress was a pale gold.

"I know!" said Gwen, who was dressed in a shimmering pale blue.

"I love mine," said Tara. She was dressed in a deep purple.

"Now, now, class, let's get to work. Please face your partners," said Professor Richardt. The partners faced each other. Out of the corner of her eye, Gwen could see a very nervous looking Peter facing Alex to her left. To her right were James and Lily; Lily was watching her feet while biting her lip, and James was watching her with a dreamy expression. Behind Remus were Sirius and Tara. Tara was staring off into space while Sirius fiddled with his purple tie.

"You look beautiful," whispered Remus.

Gwen smiled. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"Everyone look up here," said Professor Richardt, "while Alexander and I demonstrate the proper ballroom hold. The girl rests her left hand on her partner's right shoulder, while the boy places his right hand on the small of the girl's back. The boy must keep his elbow up to support his partner's arm." She paused to demonstrate this with Alexander. "The boy's left hand and the girl's right hand join together, like so." The class hastened to follow her instructions. Professor Richardt went through the class correcting the students.

"Very nice. Now that you understand the hold, I will teach you the basic tango step. Now repeat after me: slow...slow...quick, quick, slow."

"Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow," the class repeated.

"Excellent. Now, girls, please sit down while I teach the boys their part." The girls sat down carefully. "Boys, step forward on the left, then step forward on the right. Those are the first two 'slows.' Then, step forward on the left, then step to the right on the right foot, and lastly, touch your left foot to your right. Don't put any weight on it." She let the boys practice this on their own for a minute, but she stopped them once they started stepping on the girls (Peter). "Practice with me. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Good. Boys, please sit down. Girls, please stand up." The class followed their teacher's commands.

"You're doing well, Remus," whispered Gwen.

"Thanks," he whispered back.

"Girls, you go to the back first. Start with the right, then left, then right again, then touch your left to your right. Now, let's practice. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Good. Now boys, please stand up."

Gwen leaned over and pulled Remus up. He touched her shoulder lightly and smiled then turned back to Professor Richardt.

"Please face your partners and assume the ballroom hold." The class did so. "Now, do what I have taught you. But remember, you must look into each other's eyes. If you watch your feet or your partner's feet you'll mess up."

The class lifted their heads to look at their partners' eyes. Nervous Peter couldn't look into Alex's brown eyes; he had to look at her nose instead. James appeared to be lost in Lily's green eyes. Sirius and Tara would look into each other's eyes, and then they would blush and look away. When Gwen's blue eyes met Remus' hazel eyes, she seemed to melt at his searching gaze.

"Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow," said Professor Richardt while her students danced, "Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow." The couples continued after she stopped talking to get the hang of it.

"I almost forgot!" said Professor Richardt. She went to the closet and rummaged through for a bit. She came out with a stack of magazines. "The tango is a romantic dance." She went to the nearest couple and stuck the magazine between them. "You must be so close that the magazine does not fall." She inserted magazines into the rest of the couples.

Remus looked down at his and Gwen's and snorted.

"What?" Gwen asked him.

"_The Quibbler_," he said.

Gwen grinned, then looked at Peter and had to cover her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh.

"What?" Remus asked her.

"Look at Peter."

It looked like Peter was having a panic attack. He was sweating, and he was taking short, choppy breaths.

Remus chuckled quietly.

"Now, let's try it again. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Peter, pick that up and try again."

Peter blushed as he bent over to pick up his fallen magazine. Everyone else was doing well.

"Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Slow...slow...quick, quick, slow. Good. Now, the next move is simple. You do the basic step, except that the boy must shift the girl around between the second slow and first quick. Now, face the front. Slow...slow... (quick) quick, quick, slow. See, now you're ready to go to the side. If you've done it right."

The class looked over at Peter and Alex. Peter was picking up the magazine again. A chuckle swept through the class.

"Let's go to the side now. Slow...slow... (quick) quick, quick, slow. Now, let's go to the back and the side without stopping. Slow...slow... (quick) quick, quick, slow. Slow...slow... (quick) quick, quick, slow. Very nice, class. Now, since I know that you're dying to talk amongst yourselves, and you'll do it while I try to review with you, I'm going to give you a two minute break."

The couples immediately dispersed. The Marauders and their partners (except Peter, who was being scolded by Alex for not leading) converged to talk with each other. They all sat down carefully.

"Well, we're doing well," said Sirius, "I don't know about you guys, though. I've always thought that Remus would have lead feet."

The group laughed.

"He's excellent," Gwen assured them.

"I hope so," said Remus, "So, Lily, what do you think of James?"

"He's not a bad dancer. And he did take it seriously," said Lily, "Well, until he noticed that our magazine was _PlayWizard. _Professor Richardt must have gotten it from Alexander."

"Let me see it," said Sirius. He grabbed the magazine from Lily and began leafing through it.

Remus attempted to subtly look over Sirius' shoulder but was caught with a whap on the arm from Gwen. "Don't even think about it," she said.

"He can't help it if he's curious," said James.

"He's never been exposed to this kind of stuff," said Sirius, still looking through the magazine.

"Can't you find a better magazine to look through? We got _Witch Weekly_, why not look through it?" a disgusted Tara asked Sirius.

"We got _The Quibbler_," said Remus with a snort.

"Oh, I really want to read _The Quibbler_," said Sirius sarcastically.

"Okay, then, if you really want to," said Gwen. She took the magazine from an unsuspecting Sirius and gave him hers. _PlayWizard _went back to Lily.

"Hey, I was reading a good article!" said Sirius.

"Tough luck, Padfoot," said James.

"So, who do you think has it harder, the girls or the boys?" Tara asked the group.

"Girls," answered Lily and Gwen at the same time the boys answered, "Boys."

"Why do you think you have it harder?" asked Gwen.

"We have to lead," said Sirius.

"We're in heels," retorted Lily.

"We have to lead girls in heels," said James with a smirk. Everyone laughed.

"True," said Gwen.

"It's not really a bother, though," said Remus. Gwen giggled.

"Traitor," hissed Sirius.

"He's turned to the dark side! Padfoot, we have to save him!" said James.

"You're right!" said Sirius. He snatched the magazine from Lily while James pulled Remus away from Gwen. Sirius stuck the magazine under Remus' nose.

"Are they referring to the dark side of having a girlfriend?" asked an amused Gwen.

"I guess so," said Tara.

Sirius held Remus' hands behind his back, while James opened the magazine for Remus to look at. Remus resisted bravely, turning up his nose and keeping his eyes closed.

"Come on, Moony, we can still save you from commitment and corny lines!" said Sirius.

Lily, Tara, and Gwen were laughing.

"Okay, couples, back on your feet!" said Professor Richardt over the talking. The class quieted down as they stood up.

"I wonder what they have in store for us tonight?" Gwen asked Remus quietly.

"No clue," he replied.

"Now, class, let's put the two moves together. I want you to do two basics, then the complete box. Here's some music to practice to," said Professor Richardt.

The music turned on, and the couples began dancing. The only stumbling came from an extremely sweaty Peter and an exasperated Alex.

After they finished the combination, Professor Richardt said, "Very nice. You're all doing very well. I'm going to turn the music back on and let you practice on your own."

The class exchanged glances with each other as the music turned on.

Peter and Alex attempted to practice, but she got so angry she just sat down. Sirius and Tara were excellent, snapping their heads at exactly the same time. James was leading Lily in a very romantic tango (as romantic as those two moves can be). Remus and Gwen began a meaningful tango, that is, until Remus surprised everyone with hitherto unexpected dance skills and led Gwen through a series of complicated steps and lifts. The class stopped to watch, forming a circle around the pair. They gasped at every lift. Even Professor Richardt and Alexander were watching. Finally, Remus and Gwen stepped out in a shy bow and curtsy respectively.

Professor Richardt turned of the music with a flick of her wand. "That was excellent! How long have you been dancing?" she asked.

"A while," muttered a blushing Remus.

"I took some lessons before I came here," said Gwen.

"Well, you did very well. I wish I could have had you as an example couple for the sixth years; they didn't catch on as quickly as you guys did," said Professor Richardt.

"Thank you, Professor," they said.

"Well, I guess now would be a good time to dismiss class. Use the extra time for something meaningful." She looked at the Marauders, who grinned sheepishly.

"Good bye, Professor," said the class as they left. As they exited, their clothes returned to normal.

"Leave it to Professor Richardt to let us out early," said Peter.

"Probably just wants to snog Alexander," said Sirius.

"Any girl would let a class out early to be with him," said James, "Did you see those girls hanging by after she dismissed?"

"Speaking of which, Tara and Lily were two of them," said Gwen.

"And you're not?" asked Sirius.

"I don't have to act stupid around a cute guy since I already have one," replied Gwen coolly.

Remus slipped his right arm around her waist. "Thanks," he said.

Gwen slipped her arm around his waist. "It's the truth, isn't it?"

Tara and Lily ran to catch up. "Gwen, look, I got his autograph!" said Tara, holding up some parchment.

"Me, too!" said Lily, who was holding up another bit of parchment.

"I guess you'll be hanging those up in our dorm?" asked Gwen.

"Of course!" said Tara, "We even got one for you!"

"No thanks, she doesn't need it," said Remus firmly.

Lily and Tara looked to Gwen. "He's right," she admitted.

"Oh well," said Lily.

"I'll take it," said Peter hastily.

The others looked at him curiously.

"I just want to make some money off it," he said.

Sirius clapped him on the back. "You've finally learned something, Peter," he said.

"How to make extra money and get in good with the girls," said James.

"Thanks," mumbled Peter.

"Well, we better get to the library," said Remus.

"You go ahead," said Lily with a wink to James, "We need to get something from the common room."

"If you want to work on our surprise, you just have to say so," said Gwen.

"We want to work on your surprise," said Sirius bluntly.

"Okay, then we'll leave you alone. We were going to the library, anyway," said Remus.

"See you later!" said Gwen.

The couple walked placidly across the corridor and to the direction of the library. The rest of the group held back to talk.

"Well, are we going to go set it up?" asked Peter impatiently.

"Nah, it's too early. It needs to be midnight, or something," said Sirius.

"More romantic," added Tara.

"Well, we can at least write the notes," said Lily.

"And risk them finding them?" asked James, "Too risky. I say let's set it up around eleven, get them over by eleven-thirty, and then they'll have enough time to get through the challenges and kiss right at midnight."

"Sounds good to me," said Tara.

"Honestly, why did we even stay behind?" snorted Sirius.

"Well, I thought we would set it up, or at least practice setting it up," said Lily defensively.

"That's not a bad idea," said James, "We need to make sure it'll work."

"Okay, fine," said Sirius exasperatedly, "We'll practice setting it up, but we have to take it down so that no one else accidentally walks in on it."

The group walked down the corridor and towards the Room of Requirement. Sirius seemed to be a bit testy and would snap at just about any comment. But in the end, they managed to get the challenges set up and taken back down. Lily was nearly skipping by the time they got to the library.

"Why are you so happy?" asked Peter.

"They're just perfect for each other," said Lily as she attracted the attention of onlookers.

"Evans, everyone is staring at you," said James. He ruffled his hair and looked at her with concern.

"It just makes me so giddy that they're going to be closer than ever, and that they'll finally get their kiss," said Lily with a huge smile. She stopped skipping and settled to humming an unidentifiable tune with a look of pure glee in her eye.

"So now would be the time for me to ask you out?" asked James hopefully.

"You can try," said Lily, still smiling broadly.

"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" James asked her earnestly.

"Nope!" she said. She giggled very loudly. James looked crestfallen.

"Who spiked her drink?" asked Sirius.

"No one did, silly," said Lily, "True love makes one very happy." She sighed contentedly and began to settle down as they reached the table where Remus and Gwen were seated and studying quietly.

"Hello," said Gwen, "Finished plotting already?"

"Yes," said Peter.

"That almost disappoints me," said Remus, "But then again, that probably means you've been planning a lot more than you lot are letting on."

"True, all true," said Sirius (testiness gone).

"I can't wait!" said Lily, jumping up and clapping her hands with more glee.

The Pincer was breathing down their necks in five seconds flat.

"If you can't control yourself, Miss Evans, you'll have to leave," she said dangerously.

"Yes, ma'am," said Lily. All the cheerfulness had gone from her face to be replaced by fear.

Madam Pince sniffed and left.

"Why did she sniff?" asked James.

"I think she wanted to make sure we didn't have any chocolate," said Gwen.

"No, I think she wanted to make sure _Remus _didn't have any chocolate," said Peter, "You know that he's addicted to the stuff."

Remus stopped fiddling with something in his pocket and looked up with a sheepish grin.

"I can't help it that my mum sends it to me all the time," he said.

"I can't blame him," said James, "That stuff is good."

"His mum's a genius," added Sirius. Gwen, Lily, and Tara rolled their eyes.

"Well, you guys, it's four forty-five. We have the entire afternoon ahead of us," said Tara, "What do you want to do?"

"Let's play Truth or Dare!" said Sirius a little too enthusiastically.

The Pincer was on them in three seconds.

"Out of my library!" she screeched. Everyone scurried to get out of range of her piercing gaze and bad breath by fast walking all the way to the Gryffindor common room. Surprisingly enough, there was no one else there (they were studying in the library like sensible people). They all took seats around the fireplace. Remus and Gwen sat on a small couch, with Gwen leaning comfortably against Remus. Lily, Tara, and Peter sat on a longer couch. James sat in an armchair. Sirius was pacing excitedly.

"Come on; let's play!" said Sirius jovially.

"Wait, we need some rules," said Lily, "These four would probably make me run starker through the Great Hall."

"Okay, no making anyone go starker anywhere," said James.

"Fine," said Lily.

"Okay, I'm first!" Sirius was acting like a little kid that made it to the toilet for the first time. He was jumping up and down with the aid of the back of an armchair. "Tara, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she replied firmly.

"Wait, you forgot something!" said James. He got out his wands and cast a spell on everyone as Sirius sat down. "Truth charms," he explained, "And now you have to do the dares or else something will happen to your appearance."

"Tara, do you find me unexplainably attractive?" asked Sirius. He put his head on his fist and mocked serious thought.

"Yes," she answered defiantly.

"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" he asked with a flourish of the hand that had been in a fist.

"Only one question per round," interrupted James.

"Of course," she said matter-of-factly.

"I got a date on Valentine's Day!" shouted Sirius. He punched the air.

"My turn," said Tara, "James, truth or dare?"

"Dare," he said with an I-don't-care-what-she-throws-at-me smirk.

"Hmm..."

"I have an idea," said Lily. She leaned over to Tara and whispered something in her ear. Lily leaned back to her place and began steepling her fingers evilly. Both started grinning madly.

"James," Tara said, "I dare you to shave your head and be completely bald for the rest of the game!"

James look horrified at this dare. His mouth was gaping. Lily was doubled over on the couch next to Tara, laughing.

"What's the matter, Potter?" she taunted, "You're not scared, are you?"

James somberly raised his wand to his head and muttered the incantation for the Severing Charm. His hair fell in a pile around his chair. Sirius stood up with a huge grin and strolled over to behind his best mate's chair.

"Hey, I can see myself!" he exclaimed as he looked at James' shiny head. The group laughed. Lily was so hysterical she was crying.

"Evans, truth or dare?" asked James as he subconsciously rubbed his head.

"Dare," she said daringly.

"I dare you to do the tango with me right here."

Lily grimaced as her friends laughed. However, she did not want her hair to turn purple (or something along those lines), so she did as she was dared with her nose to the ceiling. They joined hands and pressed their bodies together in the proper ballroom hold. As romantically as he could muster, the newly bald James led his crush through a slightly warped version of what Professor Richardt had taught them. He changed the hold a bit towards the end so that his hands caressed her face and her hands were on his shoulders. They ended beautifully; their faces were inches apart. For a moment, it seemed that they would kiss.

"You are all witnesses of a miracle," said Tara mystically.

James attempted to close the gap between them, but Lily smacked him instead.

"Never mind," said Tara.

"Never," said Lily dangerously as she wagged her finger in front of the face she was so close to kissing, "and I mean never, pull that stunt again."

"Yes, ma'am!" said James with a mock salute. Lily gave him a critical look with a bit of a sneer thrown in.

"Peter, truth or dare?" asked Lily.

"Truth."

"What do you want to be when you grow up? I mean when you leave Hogwarts," Lily asked.

"Well," said Peter hesitantly, "I've always kind of fancied Healing."

James and Sirius howled with laughter. Peter blushed and looked at his feet, which appeared to be very interesting. Lily gave the laughing boys a look of disgust before turning back to Peter.

"I've always thought about being an Auror," said Lily.

"Really?" said Peter, his face brightening instantly.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"I think I want to be a Professor here someday," said Gwen. She smiled into the distance as she thought about her perfect future. James and Sirius finally calmed down.

"I think I want to work with animals," said Remus, "Just not quite sure about the specifics yet."

"What about you, James?" asked Gwen.

"I've been thinking about professional Quidditch," said James (Lily rolled her eyes), "but if that doesn't work out I want to be an Auror."

"That's cool," said Tara, "I'm thinking about the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"I'm going to sit on James' couch and spend my parents' fortune while laughing maniacally," said Sirius. He sat back in his chair with his hands behind his head. Everyone rolled their eyes at his lack of work ethic.

"Umm...Remus, truth or dare?" asked Peter. James and Sirius (breezy personality lost) inhaled sharply.

"Truth," he said firmly.

"Did you ever crush on someone? Before Guinevere, I mean," said Peter. James and Sirius exhaled with relief.

"No," he said simply. His hair turned white and black polka-dotted. Gwen smiled seductively and started fingering Remus' new hair.

"Are you sure?" asked Sirius.

"Okay, so I was crushing on Gwen longer than I was letting on," he said. The locks Gwen was fingering returned to their light brown color. She looked crestfallen, but she settled with interlocking her fingers with his.

"Awe, how sweet," said Lily. She smiled as she thought of her perfect man, Michael Daniels.

"Padfoot, truth or dare," asked Remus.

"Dare, of course," said Sirius indignantly, "What else?"

"I dare you to Transfigure your clothes into the underclothes of the last girl you snogged," said Remus.

"The evil side of Moony!" quipped James with a laugh.

"More like the perverted side," snorted Tara. Lily and she laughed.

"So who was the last girl you snogged?" asked Peter.

"Nicole Havers," replied Sirius, "Can I keep my undershirt and boxers? As much I don't want to spare the girls the pleasure of seeing me with my clothes off, I highly doubt righteous Moony would approve of it."

"Go." Remus shooed him away and up the staircase. Of course, not before Sirius got the chance to waggle his eyebrows at Tara. She giggled as he swept grandly from the room.

"I'd rather not know what Nicole Havers bra looks like; thanks a lot, Remus," said Lily.

"That's what you get for letting me hang out with Prongs over there," said Remus.

"Yeah, you shouldn't have let him be corrupted," said Peter.

"A good mind has been wasted for mischief," said Gwen as she shook her head.

"I don't think it's been wasted," said Sirius as he descended the steps, "It's been very important to some of the pranks we've pulled."

It took a moment for Sirius' getup to register with everyone. He was dressed in a pink push-up bra with a little bow in the center and pink underwear that said 'Hot stuff' in red on the back. Gwen buried her head in Remus' shoulder to stifle her laughter. Lily had actually let her guard down enough that James' arms had gone around her stomach. Peter and Tara had both rolled onto the floor and were beating it with their fists. Sirius strutted into the middle of the group and did some fashion model poses. It was when Sirius blew a kiss at him did the still calm Remus lose it. He let go of Gwen's hand so that he could wrap her in a hug and laugh into her hair.

"Now that that's over with," said Sirius as he sat down, "Guinevere, truth or dare?"

"Dare," she said, her voice muffled because she was still crying into Remus' shoulder.

"Well, since I had to make a change, it's your turn. Guinevere, I dare you to go up into the boys' dorm and put on my shirt, James' pants, and Remus' boxers!"

"All right," said Gwen with a toothy grin. She was about to go up the stairs when Sirius stopped her.

"When you're changed, you have to do some other type of ballroom that you and Moony know. But the boxers have to be on the outside of your pants," he said evilly. Gwen gave a fake salute and ran up the stairs of the boys' dormitory.

"Padfoot, what are we going to do with you?" asked Remus.

"Toss him off a cliff?" suggested Lily.

"Make him leave the common room like this?" asked Peter hopefully.

"All excellent suggestions," said James, "But I think he should have to go snog Havers again. In this outfit." They, excluding Sirius, all roared with laughter.

"Hilarious, Prongs," said Sirius sarcastically, "Remind me to have Guinevere dare you to put on Evans' underclothes."

Lily and James both turned bright red. Sirius gave a bark of laughter.

"Something to be embarrassed of, Evans?" asked Sirius.

"No," she said, but it sounded like she had something to hide.

"Padfoot, you wouldn't be that mean," said Remus.

"Ah, but I would," said Sirius, "Because my name is Black. Sirius Black." He struck a macho, combat pose, then winked at Tara and caused her to collapse into giggles again.

"As much as I would like to see where this conversation would go, I am dressed," said Gwen from behind them.

They all turned to look at her. Sirius' shirt was a blue polo, which she wore with the collar turned up. James' pants were baggy khakis, which were held up with a black belt. However, most of this went unnoticed. Remus boxers had everyone's attention. Unfortunately for Remus, she had chosen the prank pair that Remus had gotten from Sirius for Christmas. Full moons decorated the dark blue background, and on the back was the word 'Moony' written ornately in gold. Gwen turned around and wiggled her backside to show it off. Remus turned a deep crimson as everyone else laughed.

"So why is your nickname Moony?" Lily asked Remus.

"Well, you see," said James, "when we were foolish second years, we dared Moony here to moon Minnie."

"Why else would she allow him to postpone his detentions?" interjected Sirius.

"Because apparently she liked it," finished Peter. They all laughed again.

"Ready to dance?" prompted Sirius.

Remus stood up and walked to the center of the room where Gwen was. He whispered something in her ear. She gave a nod, and they assumed the ballroom hold.

Remus and Gwen performed a mix of a quickstep and jive. They looked like they were having a blast, especially when they did some lifts. James, Sirius, and Peter had never seen Remus this happy. However, like the prankster he is, Sirius had to end it by tripping Gwen. She landed on top of Remus in a big collision. Gwen and Remus bellowed with laughter, their faces mere centimeters apart.

"Get up, please," said James.

Gwen rolled over and laid on the floor, still laughing. Remus stood up with a huge smile and sat in his former place on the couch. Gwen was still having a spastic attack on the floor.

"Guinevere," said Sirius exasperatedly, "will you please get up?"

"So," said a still giggling Gwen as she took her seat next to Remus, "I get to truth or dare someone, and then Remus and I need to work on some homework."

"Okay," said Lily.

"Umm... Remus, truth or dare?" asked Gwen.

"Why me?" groaned Remus.

"Because," said Gwen while smiling sweetly.

"Guinevere, I have an idea," said Sirius. He walked over to Gwen, whispered in her ear, and gave her a thumbs up as he walked back to his seat.

"Although I know I shouldn't, I'm going to listen to Sirius," said Gwen.

Everyone groaned at this thought. Well, except Sirius, who clapped his hands excitedly.

"Remus, I dare you to do a suggestive dance for us," said Gwen with a huge smile.

"What do you mean by 'suggestive?'" he asked cautiously.

"She means act provocative," said Sirius irritably, "You're supposed to be the know-it-all."

"I need some inspiration," said Remus, "I can't do it without music."

James rolled his eyes and said, "Hang on, I've got something in the dorm you can dance to." He ran up the stairs. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he came back down with a small record player and a record to go with it.

"Ready to dance?" asked Gwen.

"As I'll ever be," he said as he shook is head. James started the music.

Words cannot describe the dance Remus did. Let's just say, he made some money. No joke: Gwen, Lily, and Tara were tossing Galleons and Sickles his way. He really seemed to be in his element. Then James and Sirius joined him for a laugh. Lily turned away disgustedly, but Tara watched Sirius with a hungry look in her eyes. When the music ended, James and Sirius bowed while Remus gathered the money.

"Well, now that everyone is scarred for life, Remus and I really need to work on some homework," said Gwen.

"Yeah, and Padfoot and I have detention with Minnie," said James.

Sirius Transfigured the bra and underwear back into his robes. Gwen went up to the boys' dormitory. James grew his hair back with a muttered incantation and returned the record player to his dormitory.

"What an interesting game," said Sirius innocently.

"You said it, Padfoot," said Peter, "You said it."

_11:30 P.M., Room of Requirement_

Gwen and Remus had been told by Tara to go to the Room of Requirement at eleven-thirty. James had left the Invisibility Cloak for them to use. Therefore, at eleven-twenty, they snuck down to Barnabas the Barmy.

"Ready?" asked Gwen quietly. It was eleven-thirty exactly.

"As I'll ever be." Remus gulped. He opened the door.

Inside was a plain stone room with no furniture. In the center was a single piece of parchment. Remus and Gwen walked over to it and picked it up. Remus read aloud:

"_The spaces between your fingers were made so another's could fill them in. For the first challenge, you must simply hold hands. Signed, Peter. _Well, that's easy enough."

Remus and Gwen interlaced their fingers. Immediately the room changed into a carnival. However, there was only one ride: a brightly lit Ferris wheel that sharply contrasted against the night sky. Next to the ride was a pole with a piece of parchment stapled to it. Gwen and Remus quickly went to it.

"_The worst way to miss someone is to sit next to them knowing you can't have them. However, this isn't the case for you guys. You can sit beside each other and smile knowing that you're meant to be. For the second challenge, just enjoy yourselves on the Ferris wheel. Signed, Tara. P.S. You can stop holding hands if you want,_" read Gwen. She let go of Remus' hand.

"Uh oh," said Remus. He paled as he looked up at the Wheel and grabbed Gwen's hand again.

"What?" Gwen asked curiously.

"I'm afraid of heights," said Remus.

"Deathly afraid or just a little afraid?"

"Deathly afraid," confirmed Remus. He looked like he was going to pass out at the thought of climbing onto the Wheel.

"Either we get on the ride, or we're stuck here," said Gwen, "You know they won't let us out unless we complete the challenges."

Remus gulped. "I can't go up there." He shook his head.

"You have to," said Gwen, "I'll be with you the whole time."

He gulped again. "All right," he said hesitantly. His breathing quickened, and the hand that wasn't holding Gwen's twitched.

Gwen led him to the bottom-most lift and sat him down. She then placed herself to the right of him. The ride immediately began.

Remus still hadn't let go of Gwen's hand, and his grip was tightening with each passing inch.

"Remus, you're cutting off circulation to my arm," said Gwen.

He let go. "Sorry," he said. His eyes were shut tight.

The ride gently stopped at the top of height of the Wheel. Remus, hoping that it was the end, opened one eye, peeked over the side, retched, and closed his eyes quickly.

"Remus, you can open your eyes."

"No, I can't," he said. His green face was in his hands.

Gwen turned his face towards her. "Remus, just look at me," she said soothingly.

He opened his eyes and kept them focused on her. He grabbed her hands and held them in between them. His breathing began to slow down.

"Is this so bad?" she asked him.

"I guess not," he muttered.

"The ride should be starting up again soon, and then you'll be back on the ground," she said.

Just then, a note appeared in Gwen's lap. It went unnoticed by Remus, who had risked a glance downward and had his eyes shut again. Gwen read it to herself:

_Gwen, the ride is broken. It will not start again. You and Remus have to jump. Signed, Tara._

"Oh pumpkin juice," said Gwen.

"What?" Remus asked her.

"The ride's busted. We have to jump."

"What!" Remus yelped, "How do you know that?"

"This note says so," she said. Gwen handed it to him.

"There's nothing on here," he said bluntly. He handed it back and shut his eyes again.

"Of course there is!" she said. It was right there, how could he not see it?

"I'm not jumping," he muttered, "I can't even look over the side without wanting to throw up." Mutterings of this sort continued.

"You have to trust me," Gwen said. She stroked his face and got him to look at her again.

"What if you're lying?" said a clearly distressed Remus, "Or what if they're lying?"

"You'll just have to trust me," repeated Gwen calmly.

Remus didn't say anything. He tried to look over the side again and turned greener.

"I'd never hurt you," she coaxed as she stroked his face.

"How can I be sure?" he shouted, "I've never been able to trust anybody!"

"The Rose," Gwen stated quietly.

Remus stared into her eyes, his lips pursed. Gwen kept her cool as her love searched for an answer. After a short pause, he said, "Okay." Eyes shut again, he let go of Gwen's right hand and faced outward. She stood up and helped Remus to follow.

"Ready?" Gwen asked him.

"No," he said nauseously.

"One...two...three!" Gwen jumped off the lift with Remus in tow.

They landed on a dark beach, the ocean lapping at their heels. The stars above twinkled with importance, as if gloating to one another that they knew something important would happen beneath them. Remus opened one eye, then the other, and sighed. He hugged Gwen.

"I'm glad I trusted you," he said as he held her out in front of him.

"Do you really think I would hurt you?" Gwen asked.

"No," he said with a smile, "I know that now."

Just then, a piece of parchment floated by, carried by the wind. Remus jumped up and grabbed it, then read aloud:

"_Don't waste your time on someone who won't waste their time on you. For the third challenge, walk along the beach and say three things you like about your partner. If you don't tell the truth, you won't reach the end of the beach. Signed, James."_

"Well, that's easy enough," said Gwen. She shrugged.

"Let's start walking," said Remus. He grabbed her hand and led her along the beach.

"Okay, first thing I like about you is," said Gwen, "your eyes."

"My eyes?" asked Remus with a laugh.

"Yes, your eyes," she said, "I could look into them all day and never get bored. They gleam with intelligence and mischief and mysteriousness. And I love it."

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," she confirmed with a nod and a smile.

"I always thought I had dreamy eyes," teased Remus.

Gwen ignored this comment and said, "The second thing I like about you is your love of books. You can't stop reading until you finish a book."

"Wouldn't that be considered obsessive compulsive disorder?" Remus asked, "Isn't that a bad thing?"

"Yeah, but I'm just like that. So I can read and enjoy your company at the same time," said Gwen, "Multi-tasking."

"Makes sense," said Remus with a shrug.

"And the third thing I like about you is your...alter ego," said Gwen.

"You mean..." Remus trailed off. They needed to be careful since Lily and Tara didn't know about Remus' condition.

"Yes...that," said Gwen, "It gives you a sense of mystery. A mystery that I want to solve."

"Oh," he said quietly.

"Your turn," she prodded gently.

"The first thing I like about you is your adventurousness and courageousness. If you could you would probably go jump in that ocean right now and start swimming," said Remus, "I admire that."

"I have been itching to take a swim," admitted Gwen. Her eyes floated briefly to the ocean at her right.

"The second thing I like about you is your personality. You're smart and gentle, and you know how to make me melt inside. You're the most amazing person I have ever met. You make my emotions go haywire, and no one else can do that."

"Wow," Gwen said quietly, "You make me sound great."

"You are," Remus said hastily, "Don't think anything less of yourself."

Gwen didn't reply. She was too busy staring at the ground meekly.

"The third thing I like about you is that you aren't prejudiced. Against anybody," said Remus, "A troll could walk up to you, and you would try to make friends with it."

Gwen stopped Remus and put her hands on his shoulders. "I tried making friends with a werewolf once," she said.

"Really? And how did it go?" Remus asked with a smile. He snaked his arms around her waist.

"I'm still in touch with him," said Gwen with a bigger smile.

"Hey, we're here," said Remus. He broke their embrace and pointed to a small building in front of them.

"I never even noticed," said Gwen.

"Well, let's go." Remus opened the door and gestured Gwen inside.

Inside the shack was like an old-fashioned Muggle ice-cream parlor. On the walls were old records and posters of people like Elvis Presley. There was a jukebox in the corner. At the center of it all was a table with an ice-cream sundae and a piece of parchment propped up against the bowl. The couple walked over to it and sat down. Gwen picked up the parchment and read:

"_When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. Well, you guys have one reason to smile sitting in front of you. For the fourth challenge, just enjoy the ice cream and each other's company. Signed, Lily._"

"Okay, this will probably be harder than it seems," said Remus suspiciously.

"What could be harder than eating ice cream?" Gwen asked. She picked up her spoon and took a bite of the sundae. She swallowed the bite.

"Gwen!" Remus cried. She had dropped the spoon and was clutching her stomach. The edges of her vision were blacking out, and Remus' voice sounded strangely distant. She felt like throwing up, passing out, and dying all at the same time. She took short breaths.

"Gwen, what's wrong?" Remus asked frantically.

"Can't...breathe," she said between labored breaths.

Suddenly, a piece of parchment appeared in front of Remus. He grabbed it immediately, and read to himself:

_Remus, the only way to save Gwen is to have her take another bite of ice cream. Otherwise... well, let's just say you'll lose that reason to smile I mentioned earlier. Signed, Lily._

"Gwen!" said Remus joyfully, "Just take another bite!"

"Are you...joking?" Gwen gasped. She turned to her left and threw up.

"No, that's what the parchment says!" He waved it in front of her.

"Blank," she grunted. She laid her head on the table and closed her eyes.

Remus stood up and ran around the table. "Gwen, don't go," he said, close to crying, "Just take another bite."

"No." Remus lifted her head and made her look at him.

"Don't you trust me?"

Gwen tried to lift her right arm, but couldn't. Remus jumped at the opportunity and grabbed the spoon himself. He scooped a generous measure and shoved it in her mouth. Gwen laboriously swallowed.

Suddenly, everything came back into view. Gwen straightened her back and didn't have the urge to throw up or pass out.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked earnestly.

She nodded. He hugged her close to him.

"Good," he muttered, "I don't want to lose you. You're the only person I feel secure with,"

"Except James, Sirius, and Peter?" Gwen asked.

"Except James, Sirius, and Peter," Remus confirmed.

"So you weren't trying to poison me?" Gwen asked. She let go of him.

"Ha ha," said Remus sarcastically.

"I'll take that as a no," said Gwen.

"Come on," Remus gestured to a door that had just appeared, "Next challenge."

They opened the door to what looked like a classroom, except that there was only one desk, and there wasn't a teacher.

Remus and Gwen walked to the desk. On it were three pieces of parchment (one written on), two eagle feather quills in inkwells, and a red rose in a vase. Gwen picked up the parchment that was written on and read:

"_Have you ever wondered which hurts the most: saying something and wishing you hadn't, or saying nothing and wishing you had? For the fifth challenge, write one thing about yourself on a piece of parchment and then give it to the other. Hopefully, you'll learn more about each other, even though you guys do have communication problems. Signed, Sirius._"

"He just had to bring that up, didn't he?" Remus asked.

"Of course," said Gwen, "I'm just worried that the minute I touch the quill my hand is going to turn all shriveled or something."

"No, I don't think anything like that will happen this time," said Remus, "It's kind of like James' challenge."

"All right," said Gwen suspiciously. The two sat down in the chairs opposite each other and Remus began writing.

After a minute or two, Remus was done. He looked up and saw Gwen with her quill between her teeth, still thinking about what to write. He gazed at her fondly for a while. She was suddenly struck with inspiration and wrote something down.

"Ready?" he asked her when she looked up.

"Let's switch," she said. She held out her parchment when Remus did the same. They swapped them and read silently.

"You bought Alexander's autograph from Peter?" exclaimed Remus.

"You have a secret crush on Professor Richardt?" burst Gwen.

They looked at each other then said at the same time: "I didn't write that!"

"It's in your handwriting," they retorted. Unbeknownst to them, a door appeared

"Is it true?" Gwen asked.

"Yes," Remus answered quietly, head hanging down.

"I can't believe you!" shouted Gwen, "You're supposed to be my boyfriend, not Professor Richardt's number one fan!"

"What about you?" Remus asked furiously, "You said that you didn't care, then you turned around and bought the stupid autograph from Peter."

Gwen hung her head in shame.

"You thought he was cute, didn't you?" Remus asked her loudly, "You just paid attention to me so that I didn't feel bad."

"So what?" said Gwen heatedly, "I'm still with you, aren't I?"

Remus didn't say anything, so she continued, "Yeah, so what, I bought the autograph. Yeah, so what, I think he's hot. I'm still here, aren't I? I could be searching the castle for where he's sleeping, but I'm in here listening to you yell at me! I love you, and if I didn't mean it, then I wouldn't be here."

Remus looked at the paper again, then leaned his head on his hands.

"What about you and Professor Richardt?" Gwen asked coldly.

"I have a small crush on her, but it's just like you said. I like you more than her, so does it matter?" said Remus agitatedly.

Neither said anything for a moment. Both were looking at the papers with guilty expressions.

"I'm sorry," they muttered in unison.

"No, I am," they said a little louder. Remus laughed.

"We're closer than we think," he said with a wink, "If we're talking in synch."

"Don't start rhyming," groaned Gwen.

"I have a knack for it," he said indifferently, "That's what I had written. I rhyme every conversation I have in my head. I just don't say it out loud so that people don't think I'm a nerd."

"I had written that I have a secret passion for writing and plan on turning my journal into a memoir," said Gwen, "Hey, look, there's a door!" She had suddenly noticed the door.

"I guess we didn't notice it because we were arguing," said Remus.

"Well, let's go," said Gwen. She stood up and walked to the door, which she opened. Remus followed her.

A lake scene greeted them. There was just one giant oak tree, with a picnic set up beneath it on red-checkered tablecloth. Gwen and Remus walked over and sat down on the ground. On top of the picnic basket was a piece of parchment, which was read aloud (with the aid of his wand) by Remus:

"_Thinking of you means 'I miss you', Holding your hand means 'I like you', Squeezing it means 'I want to kiss you', Putting my head on your shoulder means 'Comfort me', My hands on your waist means 'Never let me go', Biting my lip means 'I'm jealous', Staring into your eyes means 'Do you love me?', Winking means 'I adore you', Dreaming of you often means 'You're someone special', Being with you often means 'I can't live without you', And wearing your ring means 'You're mine.' For the sixth and final challenge, please enjoy the picnic we have set out for you. It's our way of asking your forgiveness. Signed, Peter, Tara, James, Lily, and Sirius._"

"Wow," said Gwen.

"I hope it's not poison," joked Remus as he opened the basket. He pulled out two candles.

"_Incendio_," said Gwen. Now that the candles were lit, they could see the food they were pulling out.

"This is a nice spread," said Remus, "Look, there's bread and meats and Firewhiskey and..."

"Sirius," interrupted Gwen, "He just couldn't contain himself."

"Salad and treacle tart and..."

"Wait," Gwen interrupted again. She scooted closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Ah," said Remus. He gave a knowing smile. They leaned in to kiss...

...and finally got it.

The Marauders had just gotten back to the common room after a hard day of learning and pranking (one involving Remus and Gwen in the Room of Requirement). They were about to go up to their dormitories when they saw that a notice had been tacked up on the bulletin board. It was a crisp white paper with the words written in green to make sure everyone passing saw it. By the light of the window they read:

STUDENTS IN THIRD OR FOURTH

YEAR MUGGLE STUDIES

MUST PARTAKE IN A MANDATORY

BALLET CLASS

TO BE HELD DURING YOUR

SCHEDULED CLASS TIME

NO WANDS ALLOWED

_Class is Wednesday. February 15._

"Ballet?" asked Sirius incredulously.


End file.
